The Tankini Series: Episode I
by The Tap Dancing Spiders
Summary: Luke & Mara get stuck on a turbolift. What's that have to do with tankinis? Well, we’re glad you asked. See, we don't understand those tanktop and panty sets either. This is our attempt to answer the universal question, Do people actually sleep in those?
1. Chappie One w00t

**The Tankini Series: Episode I**

**Summary:** Luke and Mara get stuck on a turbolift together. So, what does that have to do with tankinis? Well, we're glad you asked that. You see, we do not understand those tanktop/panty sets either, and this is our attempt to answer the universal question of, "Do people actually _sleep_ in those?"

**Disclaimer:** This story is ours. Star Wars is not.

* * *

Luke Skywalker began to walk towards the turbolift that would take him swiftly up to the floor his apartment was on, but he paused as he briefly felt a familiar presence with the Force. Suddenly, that presence was cloaked. He turned to see a familiar woman with red-gold hair striding in the direction of the turbolifts, an annoyed expression on her face for being caught and a basket of clothes cradled in her arms.

"Mara!" he called out.

Wincing, she stopped and waited for him to walk over to her.

"Why were you hiding your presence?" Luke asked with a frown. He felt hurt that she didn't want to see him.

"I didn't feel like talking to you today, okay, Skywalker?" Mara Jade bit out, her green eyes menacing slits.

"Where are you going?" he inquired, not letting her rage and frustration throw him off.

"Up to my apartment. Is that a crime?"

"No," Luke said smoothly. "I'm going up to Leia's for dinner. How about we go in the turbolift together?"

"Whatever pleases the esteemed Jedi Master," Mara muttered, her bad mood showing clearly.

Luke waited for Mara to enter the turbolift, not wanting to have his back to her. He followed quickly behind and gave the computer directions to both her floor and Leia's. The two rode in an angry silence (well, Mara was the one who was mostly angry; Luke was mostly fearing for his life) until the turbolift came to a sudden and complete stop two floors below Mara's.

Luke blinked at the computer panel, then moved in front of it, hoping Mara hadn't noticed. "Uh oh," he whispered under his breath.

"Uh oh?" Mara scolded. "Uh ohs are never good when they come from you!" she said accusingly.

"There are good uh ohs?" he responded.

It was right about that time that an automated voice came over the turbolift's speakers.

"Due to a temporary lull in power," the feminine voice began, "we are unable to complete your turbolift requests at this time. We will, however, have you to your designated positions in approximately fifteen standard minutes."

"Uh, well," Luke said, looking a little nervous, "that's not so bad, then. Fifteen minutes..."

"Skywalker!" Mara exclaimed. "Fifteen minutes with anyone is a little more than I am willing to deal with right now."

"Tough week at the Senate?"

"You would be long gone by now if it were you!" the redhead asserted.

"Which is exactly why I leave the politics to my sister," the Jedi Master responded.

There was silence for a few moments before Luke finally broke it. "So, uh," he ventured, looking at her nervously, "when are you going to come to—"

"Skywalker!" Mara growled, eyes flashing, "if you ask me one more time when I'm coming to your blasted Jedi Academy, I'll shove my lightsaber so far down your throat people will think you've become a Corellian glowworm!"

Luke didn't even want to go _near_ that analogy.

After a few more moments of almost complete silence, he suggested, "If we talk it'll make the time go by quicker."

"Will it now?" Mara glared at him.

He quickly backtracked. "Nah, forget it. Talking's bad. Very, very bad. I personally can't see how people handle it. All that communicating really puts a damper on my day, and—"

"This is all your fault you know," Mara stated, breaking through his seemingly incessant talking about not liking to talk.

Luke blinked. "_Me_? What do _I_ have to do with our getting stuck in a turbolift?"

Mara bit a scathing comment back, preferring to just glare menacingly at him.

The turbolift seemed to start up a bit as the horrible 'turbomusic' died down.

But alas, they were thwarted again as it came to a halt between two stories. So close, and, yet, so far.

The music began again.

In a fit of impatience, Mara flung the clothes basket in her arms onto the floor of the lift.

Out flew the entire contents of her laundry basket: jumpsuits, robes for the Senate, and every day wear, including what looked to be like a blue athletic tank top.

"And you call _my_ clothing selection bad," Luke commented dryly. "Hm. Interesting that you have a large variety of everything, but you only have one tank top. Did you just work out one day this week, or..." and that was when Luke's poor innocent eyes fell upon the tank top's matching pair of underwear.

The underwear was the same color as the tank top, but unlike the tank top it had a small heart with the initials 'L.S.' printed on it, with a pair of lightsabers crossing behind the heart.

Luke's mouth gaped open in utter disbelief. "Wh-wh-what is that?" he stuttered.

Quickly, Mara spat an answer, "It was a gag gift for my birthday! Now, if you please—" Mara's hand fell limp as she realized he had seen the second tank top and underwear set. This one was green instead of blue, and it had the same heart insignia, though the insignia was on the top instead of the shorts.

"_Two_ gag gifts?" Luke's hand started to venture towards the tankini sets before he realized what he was about to do and snatched it back.

Mara went into babbling mode, "Well, the first one fit so well that I had to get another, and your initials are the only things on them anymore, so—"

Luke interrupted her. "Do you actually _sleep_ in those?"

And for the first time in her life, Mara's face turned slightly pink.

* * *

**Authors' Note:** Next chappie coming fairly soon. Please read and review! 


	2. The Exciting Conclusion Or Something

**Authors' Note:** SGS: Yes, it has been like a year and a month since we have updated, but we have a good excuse for that---PS will now explain it to you.

PS: Um . . . yes, we have an excellent reason. School work and different colleges and very little vacation time spent in the same spot and other stuff I forget now. Anyway, we're back now, and that is all that matters. For now.

* * *

"Well, um . . . you see . . . ," Mara tried to begin, not sure of what to say.

Luke smiled at her rosy cheeks and pinched lips.

"Welllll?" he persisted.

"Maybe, when it's hot, and I don't feel like running the climate control, or when I'm alone, sometimes, yes, I have been known to wear them . . . . But don't get all excited, Farmboy. That doesn't mean anything."

"Excited?" Luke sputtered. "Me!" And for the upteenth time in Luke's life, his cheeks turned pink.

"No, the boorish, blonde, Jedi standing behind you." Mara glared.

Luke didn't dare move to look behind him.

After a moment's pause, Luke ventured with a note of indignance to hide his lack of composure, "Boorish?"

"You heard me," Mara said crossly. Her eyes had lost their furious wrinkles around the edges and softened. "And, yes, sometimes you are boorish."

Luke crossed his arms and pouted. "When am I boorish?"

"Do you really want me to explain?" She looked pointedly at him.

"Isn't it more boorish to call someone boorish than to act boorish?"

"Um . . . ." Mara looked as though she might be considering it. " . . . No."

Luke nodded, as if he were expecting that answer. "Spoken like a true boorish person."

"See, you are being boorish and argumentative _right now_!" Mara was getting upset. "Since when do you care what I call you anyway?"

"Ummm," Luke began, "always?"

Mara felt her flushed cheeks cool. "Luke, you are a slightly boorish person sometimes, but I blame it on your time spent on Dagobah." She shrugged dismissively.

"Dagobah!" Luke sounded incredulous. "What does Dagobah have to do with my manners or lack thereof?"

"Nothing," grinned Mara. "I was just trying to get a rise out of you, to prove that you can't be that calm all the time. Plus, I figure there are some Jedi rules that should be thrown out from time to time."

"What sort of things?"

Mara's green eyes met Luke's crystal, twinkling blue ones. He looked so hopeful; she couldn't be cruel to him now. Not when they were so close. "Oh, just some things, like the rules about passion, and love, and, you know, farmboy, sometimes fights are good."

Luke smiled at her, and there was such tenderness in his gaze that Mara shivered. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and she turned, startled, only to find his lips clumsily hitting hers. Mara pulled away, her eyes wide. Luke realized he had made a tactical error and began swiftly backpedaling both verbally and physically.

"Okay, see, I didn't really-- What I mean to say is-- You turned, and I was there, and you weren't supposed-- Not that it was your fault, because it wasn't. It was my . . . . " Luke trailed off, having backed into the wall of the turbolift. Mara wasn't screaming at him. In fact, she wasn't doing much of anything.

"Um, are you going to say anything?" Luke ventured, wincing in anticipation of a scathing verbal enslaught after trampling all over her clean clothes, not to mention kissing her.

Mara took two large steps over her basket and clothing on the floor, ending right in front of him. She shook her head no and leaned in to kiss him.

"All right, Luke!" Han shouted as the turbolift doors swept open to reveal an entangled Mara and Luke half a floor beneath Han and Leia.

"No!" shouted Lando from the landing half a floor below Luke and Mara.

Luke reached over and pressed the close doors button on the wall panel. He felt Mara's grin as the doors slid shut.

**

* * *

**

**Authors' Note:** PS: Thanks so much for sticking through to the bitter end. We are currently throwing around some new ideas that may be posted as early as next summer! (sarcasm should be noted)

SGS: These ideas, while they unfortunately do not involve Star Wars, involve other fandoms and the exploration of the whole "tankini" mystery. Our next one will probably be Harry Potter. nudge nudge, wink wink Thanks for sticking around, yo.


End file.
